Thorp's five sends Durham top

Callum Thorp's fourth five-wicket haul put Durham to the top of the table - overnight at least - and level with Yorkshire on 77 points but with a game in hand. Thorp worked his way through Yorkshire's line-up at Headingley, with Steve Harmison and Liam Plunkett lending handy support who grabbed the other five between them. Michael Vaughan spent valuable time in the middle for his 72 although he survived a confident caught behind appeal on 59, when a no-ball was called because Durham had three men behind square on the leg side. He was also dropped on 66 and was eventually bowled by Harmison. Adam Lyth provided the other main resistance and top scored with 80 to set Durham 111. After a brief scare against Matthew Hoggard, Michael Di Venuto (65) combined with Paul Collingwood to finish off the job - Collingwood's unbeaten 44 will lift him ahead of the first Test against South Africa after his first-class form has been shaky recently.

Nottinghamshire are well placed against Hampshireat The Rose Bowl, requiring a further 134 with nine wickets left after another four-wicket haul from Andre Adams. He ended with match figures of 8 for 108 after helping to dismiss Hampshire for a second time to leave Nottinghamshire with a target of 188. Charlie Shreck backed him up with three wickets, Darren Pattinson took two and it was only Chris Tremlett's fourth first-class fifty that held them up following a mid-innings burst. Michael Brown had earlier contributed a half-century. Nantie Hayward nipped out Matthew Wood for 7 as the visitors began their chase, but by the close Will Jefferson and Mark Wagh had steadied proceedings. Hampshire, however, are by no means out of it and they will search for early wickets.

Click here for a report on all the action at Hove, where Lancashire are still handily placed against Sussex.

Second Division

Worcestershire pushed up the table with a 10-wicket destruction of second-placed Leicestershire to win inside three days at Grace Road. Although Leicestershire reached 346 in their second innings- helped by Paul Nixon's 92 - it was their first which was their undoing. Claude Henderson at least helped Nixon prolong the fight as the pair added 103 in 27 overs before Gareth Andrew produced a beauty to take Henderson's off stump. Andrew and Kabir Ali shared seven wickets and the visitors needed only 88 for the victory, which Daryl Mitchell and Stephen Moore collected between them. Mitchell ended with 40 and Moore 46.

Ian Bell's double-century, in a third-wicket stand of 221 with Jonathan Trott, was the undoubted feature of the day, helping Warwickshire to a hefty 528 for 8 declared against Gloucestershireat Edgbaston. Bell was finally caught off Hamish Marshall but not before he had racked up 215 from 288 balls with 32 fours. A double ton is always handy, but particularly when there have been concerns over Bell's form and after his failure to build on starts in the one-day series. Trott himself racked up 165 before the declaration, with a lead of 194. Gloucestershire began chipping away at the deficit by the close, but face a day of survival tomorrow.

Ben Scott and Eoin Morgan turned round Middlesex's second innings after Johann van der Wath continued his bowling assault for Northamptonshire. Scott reached his third first-class century and was unbeaten overnight on 141, while Morgan fell for 93, to lift Middlesex from 35 for 4 to 377 for 8 - a healthy 240-run lead at Uxbridge. The home side began the day at a pallid 4 for 2 and slipped further when they lost Billy Godleman and Owais Shah cheaply to van der Wath who has so far collected five wickets. Then came the rescue act which has left Northamptonshire with a big task on their hands on the final day, weather permitting.

A solid all-round day from Essex put them within five wickets of victory against Derbyshireat Chelmsford, where the visitors needed 184 further runs to overhaul what was becoming an increasingly out of reach target. Chasing 372, Derbyshire made a strong start and were 184 for 3 when a pair of late wickets severely dented their chances. Dominic Telo had guided the innings with 69 and Rikki Clarke was a useful ally with 44, but when both men fell it meant a stumps score of 188 for 5 on a day when they had knocked over Essex for 238. The hefty first-innings deficit Derbyshire had conceded was coming back to bite them as four-wicket hauls to Charl Langeveldt and Graham Wagg failed to stop Essex posting the challenging target. Ravi Bopara, fresh from one-day duties with England, made 71 from 82 deliveries and an unbeaten 55 from Ryan ten Doeschate continued his excellent match after he made a century in the first innings, and fittingly it was he who removed Clarke just before stumps to bring the goal closer for Essex.

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